HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Here are a few pictures from the past year.

Its been up.

Its been down.

Somehow we are all still here.

Ben, Brett, Dane, Karrie, Lainey, Cody & Kai

(left to right)

I'm trying to think what happened this year and it really is quite a blur.

Mostly we spend time together and during holidays we are lucky enough to be with Brett's family who lives close by.

Winters we like to play in the snow out back, sometimes ski & definitely drink hot chocolate.

Summers - baseball, swimming at the neighborhood pool, riding bikes & golfing.

This summer we got lucky and Lainey came on July 22nd.

Fall is our favorite....school, soccer & Halloween!

Now we are back at the beginning. We hope there is as much in store for us in 2011.

With much Love,

The Larsens

Kai swinging at Grandma Downey's House

Dane (left) & Ben (right) eating up San Diego

Literally.

Cody golfing with dad in Colorado

Cody at the Big Thompson River

Lainey on her blessing day

Kai

Dane

Benjamin

Larsens in San Diego

Happy Halloween

Benjamin Mouse Ears

Cinderella and her Mice Gus Gus & Jack Jack

Kai's First Day of Kindergarten

Cody with his new sister Lainey

All the Turkeys together

Dane & Ben at the Larsen Cabin

Lainey Getting Big

She's the "smiliest" baby we've ever had

5 Months Old

Having fun in the backyard

Dane chasing the balloon.

Good Times.

Hope you have some too.

Red Sweater Day

I'm way behind and it is super late. So here it is people.....Here are a few pics of Christmasy stuff.

Lainey in her Santa Dress.

A few Sunday's ago we decided to get dressed up for church.

Love the "matching" outfits - right?

Dane puts the angel on top.

That's it! Happy Holidays.

Happy Halloween

Halloween Week....

Just so you know, Halloween isn't just one night anymore. Last week Halloween began for us on Thursday night and didn't end until Sunday night. I gotta be honest....getting kids dressed up multiple times is kind of a drag. But I guess it does make for good pictures.

Halloween Night.

If you can't tell - The twins are Jack and Gus Gus from Cinderella. Kai is Cinderella and Cody is Indiana Jones.

"Halloween Eve" at the Ward Party

Cinderella and the mice at the Ward Party. Dane is Gus Gus (red) and Ben is Jack (blue).

Brett is Bill Murray from Caddyshack. I am myself. Sorry.

Trick or Treat Street at Rocky Mountain HS

(We forgot the ears. Blast!)

Kai at School Party

Kai had planned to be a doctor (thanks Dad for the gear) and went to school dressed up as a doctor. But then when the boys got dressed up as Gus Gus and Jack, she couldn't resist putting her Cinderella costume on from last year. But at least she got to be a doctor for one day!

"Dr. Larsen. Paging Dr. Kai Larsen......"

Kai and her friend Makahl

Ben's first time trying on the Ears.

Little ELVES

The boys tolerated the ears for a limited amount of time - 1 hour if they were getting candy, but the loved the hats. Here are a few pictures of them doing what they normally do, but with these ridiculous cone hats. They wouldn't take them off all morning.

Just hanging out eating 2nd Breakfast in our hats. No biggie.

Anyway, that was our week in a nutshell. Fun, but exhausting.

Bday games

We are old fashioned at our house. We play goofy games like - "See who can pop a balloon the fastest by sitting on it." Brett won. I was taking video so I don't think he had a worthy opponent. Luckily it mattered to no one. Read more about the Twins Bday in the following post!

Ben & Dane are 2

GOOD TIMES

Somehow we made it to 2. I don't know how, but we did.

I remember last birthday for the twins, it was such an awful affair. The constant crying and my inability to make them happy. I think I went up to my closet and cried after we had their party.

I had always imagined during the early months of their life that if I could make it a year, things would get start to be better and get fun.

I was crushed to be wrong and consider our fate.....that it may never get easier.

Then they turned 2. They are far from perfect and there are lots of tough days. I still rarely get anything done, but I must admit that I laugh a good deal more. They are much happier and this time at least they liked the cake.

We had a lot of fun just having dinner, cake and ice cream. The twins had second helpings of both cake and ice cream...which may account for the video below.

Dane loved his Woody doll from Great Grandma.

They both enjoyed playing the "ballon pop" game and "drop a clothespin into the mason jar." In fact they played with the clothes pins and jar for about an hour after we were done. Total disregard for all the new gifts and toys.

Above, Ben is just copying the big kids by covering his ears. Truth is, we had to secretly stick scissors in the balloons as they bounced. They just don't have the girth to pop the balloons yet.

But most of all - the BIKES! Hooray.

Below view a video taken right after they opened their gift from Great Grandma. Like I said, it could've been the ice cream and cake.